Newcastle 2 Aston Villa 0: Martins prospers in Owen's absence

The attendances may still be falling at an alarming rate on Tyneside, but at least Newcastle United have risen from the foot of the Barclays Premier League after their stand-in boss Joe Kinnear secured his second win in a week.

Such was the unprecedented joy at St James' Park that the lowest crowd of the season - 44,567 - even chanted Kinnear's name before the night was out.

Shooting star: Obafemi Martins drives the ball past Nicky Shorey for his first goal and (below right) celebrates in his own uniquely acrobatic style.

But they saved real adoration for Obafemi Martins, the two-goal hero who lifted Newcastle away from the foot of the table, where they fell for the first time in nine years after Bolton and Tottenham had secured weekend victories.

Kinnear could have called on his fit-again captain Michael Owen to help lift the gloom hanging over Tyneside, but instead stuck with his Little and Large act of Martins and Shola Ameobi.

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He was rewarded with a matchwinning performance from the pair which took them above neighbours Sunderland on goal difference just 10 days after their derby surrender on Wearside.

With Kinnear laid low after losing his voice during the game, assistant manager Chris Hughton appeared afterwards to say: 'We have options now and they are all playing very well. Our strikers stretched Villa and Oba got two great goals. We have real options on the bench because we are obviously aware of Michael's qualities.'

Newcastle were lucky to still have 11 men on the pitch after referee Steve Bennett had missed an unsavoury incident involving Joey Barton, which could have resulted in another red card for the midfielder and a six-match ban.

He was eventually booked for raising his studs in a challenge on Luke Young in the second half, but the FA could still decide to study footage of his spat with Gabriel Agbonlahor, which marred an otherwise effective performance in his second start of the season.

With a suspended six-game ban hanging over him, Barton was walking a tightrope with strict disciplinarian Bennett. He was penalised in the 21st minute for wiping out Agbonlahor after Bennett had spotted his subtle foul as James Milner and Jose Enrique fought for the ball on the floor.

Barton appeared to think he was the innocent party. He did not react kindly to Agbonlahor's version of events and twice clipped the Villa striker round the face, at one point clipping his nose as the pair went head to head.

Fortunately for Barton, the officials missed all the nonsense, but the television cameras did not and the pair continued to clash for the rest of the first period.

Perhaps that incident unsettled Agbonlahor because soon after he missed the best chance of the half when former Newcastle winger Milner created a lovely opening down the Villa right.

The £12million signing, who was booed by home fans, skipped away from Jose Enrique with ease before playing a tempting ball across goal which Agbonlahor somehow allowed to slip through his legs.

It was not a moment to impress watching England scouts Stuart Pearce and Franco Baldini, who were looking for pointers ahead of the friendly against Germany.

Martins scored his first goal of the night in direct response to a booking by Bennett, the latest official to endure a bewildering night at St James' Park. The bravest decision he made during a strange performance was a caution for Martins after the break when he had been fouled in the corner by Carlos Cuellar.

Happy to be back: Michael Owen waits on the bench for his late cameo appearance after recovering from injury.

Although the Spanish defender escaped punishment for his brutal challenge, the Nigeria forward was booked for waving an imaginary yellow card, much to the annoyance of the crowd.

That decision fired up Martins and three minutes later he turned Martin Laursen with devastating speed before unleashing a low shot past Friedel, with the American appearing slow to react.

Martins scored his second goal seven minutes from the end when he tapped in on the goal-line after Jonas Gutierrez and Damien Duff had created the opening down the Newcastle left.

Nigel Reo-Coker, who was moved to full back as Villa chased an equaliser, was all over the place as Gutierrez, nicknamed Spiderman, breezed to the byline and played the ball into Martins' path.

For Villa boss Martin O'Neill, this was a missed chance to move into third place in the table and although the visitors had the better of the early chances, they were anonymous after the break.

Agbonlahor, despite his dreadful air shot, created a chance for Ashley Young which Shay Given saved brilliantly with his feet, while a Laursen header hit the outside of the post but was covered by the Republic of Ireland keeper as he marked his 450th Newcastle game.

Meanwhile, Kinnear proved he has galvanised his once beleaguered Newcastle troops with a precious win. They also had their chances, with Steven Taylor unlucky not to score from Habib Beye's cross in the first half and Nicky Butt also hitting the woodwork with a curling free-kick.